Method and apparatus for switching modes

ABSTRACT

A method of switching operation modes in a mobile device is provided. The method includes receiving current location information; determining an on-the-map location corresponding to the current location information; extracting a location property of the determined on-the-map location; and setting an operation mode of the mobile device based on the extracted location property.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to KoreanPatent Applications filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office onNov. 13, 2009 and Nov. 12, 2010 and assigned Serial Nos. 10-2009-0109448and 10-2010-0112986, respectively, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus forswitching operation modes, and more particularly, to a method andapparatus for setting an operation mode according to a location propertyof a current location information.

2. Description of the Related Art

Due to recent development in communication technologies, various currentmobile devices provide information about their current location byreceiving signals from a web server or a Global Positioning System(GPS). Furthermore, since a current location of a mobile device may bedetermined, various services that may be provided at a current locationare currently being developed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for settingoperation mode according to a location property of current locationinformation.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of switchingoperation modes is provided. The method includes receiving currentlocation information; determining an on-the-map location correspondingto the current location information; extracting a location property ofthe determined on-the-map location; and setting an operation mode basedon the extracted location property.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method ofswitching operation modes is provided. The method includes receivingcurrent location information including location property of a currentlocation; determining an on-the-map location corresponding to thecurrent location information; extracting a location property of thedetermined on-the-map location; and setting an operation mode based onthe extracted location property.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method ofswitching operation modes is provided. The method includes receiving aplace property from at least one nearby external device; and setting anoperation mode based on the received place property.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a mode switchingdevice is provided. The mode switching device includes a receiving unitfor receiving current location information; a map matching unit fordetermining an on-the-map location corresponding to the current locationinformation; a location property extracting unit for extracting alocation property of the determined on-the-map location; and anoperation mode switching unit for setting an operation mode based on theextracted location property.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a mode switchingdevice is provided. The mode switching device includes a receiving unitfor receiving including location property of a current location; alocation property extracting unit for extracting a location property ofthe determined on-the-map location; and an operation mode switching unitfor setting an operation mode based on the extracted location property.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a mode switchingdevice is provided. The mode switching device includes a receiving unitfor receiving a place property from at least one nearby external device;and an operation mode switching unit for switching operation modes basedon the received place property.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of certainembodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of switchingoperation modes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of switchingoperation modes according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of switching operation modesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a map according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a table related illustrating categorization of operation modesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of switching operation modesaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of switching operation modesaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a format of an RA message, according toan embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a mode switching device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description,the same elements will be designated by the same reference numerals whenthe same elements are shown in different drawings. Further, in thefollowing description of the present invention, a detailed descriptionof known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitwhen it may make the subject matter of the present invention ratherunclear.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of switchingoperation modes according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, when a mobile device 110, which includes a modeswitching device, enters into a predetermined location, the mobiledevice 100 receives current location information from a predeterminedlocation information providing device 120. Next, the mobile device 110switches into an operation mode corresponding to a predetermined space100 that includes the current location. For example, the mobile device110 may be set to a bell mode and display an icon 111 that indicates thebell mode. When the mobile device 110 enters into the predeterminedspace 100, the mobile device 110 receives current location informationfrom the location information providing device 120. Upon confirmationthat the mobile device 110 has entered the predetermined space 100, theoperation mode of the mobile device 110 is automatically switched to asilence mode, and the mobile device 110 displays an icon 112 thatindicates the silence mode. The above-described switching of operationmodes from the bell mode to the silence mode is merely provided anexample. However the present invention is not limited thereto, and otheroperation mode switches may be performed according to embodiments of thepresent invention. For example, if a mobile device enters an aircraft,the mobile device may communicate with a predetermined system in theaircraft and the mobile device may automatically turn off as a result ofthe communication.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of switchingoperation modes according to another embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a mobile device 210, which includes a modeswitching device, is switched to a predetermined operation mode when themobile device 210 approaches another predetermined device 220. Forexample, the mobile device 210 may be set to a bell mode and display anicon 211 that indicates the bell mode. When the mobile device 210 entersa predetermined space 200 (e.g., an office room), an approaches anotherpredetermined device 220 (e.g., a phone), such that the mobile device210 is located within a predetermined distance from the phone 220, theoperation mode of the mobile device 210 automatically switches to asilence mode, and the mobile device 210 displays an icon 212 indicatingthe silence mode.

Next, if a mode switching device is moves beyond the predetermineddistance from the other predetermined device, the operation mode of themode switching device is automatically switched to an original operationmode. For example, referring to FIG. 2, when the mobile device 210 ismoves beyond of the predetermined distance from the phone 220, theoperation mode of the mobile device 210 is switched back to the originaloperation mode (i.e., the bell mode), and the mobile device 210 displaysan icon 213 that indicates the bell mode.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of switching operation modesaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in step 310, a mode switching device receivescurrent location information from an external source. The currentlocation information may be location information acquired by receiving,from a satellite, a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal used fordetermining a current location of the mode switching device. A GPSsignal may includes coordinate information, such as longitude andlatitude. For example, coordinate information may be longitude-latitudeinformation indicating a location using east longitude and northlatitude, such as E127:00:09,00 and N37:26:08,00. Furthermore, currentlocation information may be received from a server providing locationinformation via a wired or wireless communication network. Currentlocation information received via the wired or wireless communicationnetwork may be coordinates information, such as longitude and latitude,or information for identifying a location, such as an address. Theabove-described method of acquiring current location information and theformat of location information as stated above are merely provided asexamples, and embodiments of the present invention are not limitedthereto. Any of various types of information may be utilized in thepresent invention as long as the information informs a current location.Current location information may also be received from an associatedAccess Point (referred to hereinafter as an AP) or a Radio FrequencyIDentifier (RFID).

In step 320, the mode switching device determines a location on a map(i.e., an “on-the-map location”) corresponds to current locationinformation. More specifically, the mode switching device matchesreceived current location information to a map and determines anon-the-map location corresponding to a current location. Herein, theterm “map” generally refers to a digital map, which is composed ofdigital data. A digital map includes location information, such aslatitudes, longitudes, and addresses, and names of correspondingbuildings and roads. Names of places are mapped and displayed withrespect to each of location information. Location information of adigital map may be coded. A mode switching device according to anembodiment of the present invention may determine and display anon-the-map location corresponding to received current locationinformation as a current location. A map may be stored in the modeswitching device in advance. Furthermore, a map may also be receivedfrom an external source, and the map may be updated.

In step 330, the mode switching device extracts a location property of adetermined location. Herein, the term “location property” refers to aname representing a property of the place in the name of place in themap corresponding to the determined location. A name of a place isgenerally combination of a proper name and a general name. For example,in names of places including “Somang Church”, “Onnuri Church”, and“Soonbokeum Church”, “Somang”, “Onnuri”, and “Soonbokeum” are propernames, whereas “Church”, which is a name representing the property ofthe places, is a general name. Furthermore, in names of places including“the National Assembly Library” and “Seoul City Library”, the term“Library” is a general name. In other words, according to embodiments ofthe present invention, a location property refers to a general nameincluded in a name of a place corresponding to the location. In theabove-described examples, the terms “Church” and “Library” are locationproperties. A tolerable range for extracting a location propertycorresponding to a current location may be based on a distance. In otherwords, a location property of a current location may be extracted basedon how far the current location is away from a place having the locationproperty. For example, a location property may be extracted only if acurrent location is located within 10 meters from a place having thelocation property. The tolerable range may be set by a designer or auser of the mode switching device in advance. A distance between acurrent location and a place having a location property may becalculated based on coordinates thereof on a map. Alternatively, anactual distance between a current location and a place having a locationproperty may be calculated by calculating an on-the-map distance betweenthe current location and the place having the location property. Forexample, if the scale of a map is 1:1000 and an on-the-map distancebetween a current location and a place having a location property is 1cm, the calculated actual distance is 10 meters. Furthermore, if acurrent location of the mode switching device is within a tolerabledistance from a plurality of places having location properties of alocation, a plurality of location properties of the location may beextracted. For example, if a current location is located within a churchin a university, “church” and “university” are extracted as locationproperties.

In a step 340, the mode switching device categorizes extracted locationproperties according to stored operation modes. In other words, the modeswitching device categorizes general names extracted from names ofplaces of a corresponding location according to stored operation modes.Herein, the term “stored operation modes” refers to modes to be switchedto by changing system configuration of the mode switching device basedon location properties, that is, properties of general names. Forexample, in places requiring silence, such as a library, a silence modeor a vibration mode is required. Therefore, if an extracted property ofa location is related to a library, the operation mode of the modeswitching device is switched to a silence mode or a vibration mode. Theoperation modes may include a bell mode, a vibration mode, a silencemode, etc. Further, the operation modes are not limited to modes relatedto sound information of a predetermined device, and may also refer toany of general operation modes of a device other than a normal operationmode. For example, the operation modes may include operation modes forturning on or off or adjusting brightness of a display unit of thedevice, adjusting volumes or magnitude of a bell or vibration, changingbackground images, etc.

A plurality of operation modes may be combined with respect to a singleproperty or location. For example, an operation mode for changing abackground image may be combined with an operation mode for adjustingbrightness of a display unit. Operation modes are pre-stored in a modeswitching device, and may be changed by a user. More specifically, anoperation mode may automatically switch at places corresponding to asame property according to location properties, while not switching at aplace located at particular coordinates designated by a user. Forexample, according to an embodiment of the present invention, if achurch is set as a location property, an operation mode automaticallyswitches at any church. If a plurality of location properties isextracted with respect to a current location and an operation modeswitches according to each of the plurality of location properties,conflicts may occur. Therefore, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention, a priority is given to each of location properties toprevent the conflicts. Therefore, if a plurality of location propertiesis extracted from a location, a mode switching device is automaticallyswitched to an operation mode having the highest priority. If aplurality of operation modes having a same priority, a user interfacefor selecting one of the competing operation modes is provided.

In a step 350, the mode switching device sets the operation modeaccording to the categorized operation modes.

The method of FIG. 3 is further described as follows with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a map according to anembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a table illustratingcategorization of operation modes according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, received current location information is locationinformation corresponding to the Yeouido Catholic Church 401. TheYeouido Catholic Church 401 is determined as an on-the-map locationcorresponding to the current location information. A symbolcorresponding to a current location 410 is also indicated at the YeouidoCatholic Church 401. As described hereinabove, since a “locationproperty” of a current location refers to a general name included in aname of a place, “Church” is the location property of the currentlocation. Referring to FIG. 5, an operation mode corresponding to achurch is an OFF mode, and thus a mobile device is automatically turnedoff.

As an alternative to the scenario illustrated in FIG. 4, when thecurrent location 410 corresponds to the Yeouido Middle School 402, thelocation property becomes “school.” Referring to FIG. 5, thecorresponding operation mode is a vibration mode, and thus the mobiledevice is automatically switched to a vibration mode. Similarly, whenthe current location 410 is the Yeouido Department Store 403, thelocation property becomes “department store.” Since a department storehas many various noises, a high volume of a bell is useful. Referring toFIG. 5, a first operation mode corresponding to a department store is abell mode, and a second operation mode corresponding to a departmentstore is a maximum volume mode. Therefore, the mobile device isautomatically switched to a bell mode and a maximum volume mode. Whenthe current location 410 is the Yeouido Cinema 404, the locationproperty becomes “cinema.” Referring to FIG. 5, a first operation modecorresponding to a cinema is a silence mode, and a second operation modecorresponding to a cinema is a minimum display brightness mode.Therefore, the mobile device automatically switches to a silence modeand a minimum display brightness mode. When the current location 410 isthe National Assembly Library 405, the location property becomes“library.” Referring to FIG. 5, an operation mode corresponding to alibrary is a silence mode. Therefore, the mobile device is automaticallyswitched to a silence mode. When the current location 410 is the AnkaraPark 406, the location property becomes “park.” Referring to FIG. 5, afirst operation mode corresponding to a park is a background changemode, and a second operation mode corresponding to a park is a maximumdisplay brightness mode. Therefore, the mobile device is automaticallyswitched to a background change mode and a maximum display brightnessmode. A background image may be stored in the mobile device in advance.

If a current location 410 corresponds to a plurality of locationproperties, e.g., when the current location corresponds to both of theYeouido Department Store 403 and the Yeouido Cinema 404, locationproperties of the current location become “department store” and“cinema.” When there is a plurality of simultaneous location properties,the operation mode of the mobile device is automatically switched to anoperation mode having the highest priority. Referring to FIG. 5, thepriority of cinema is 1, whereas the priority of department store is 2.Since cinema has higher priority than department store, the operationmode of the mobile device is automatically switched to an operation modecorresponding to cinema. A first operation mode corresponding to acinema is a silence mode, and a second operation mode corresponding to acinema is a minimum display brightness mode. Therefore, the mobiledevice is automatically switched to a silence mode and a minimum displaybrightness mode. Furthermore, when the current location corresponds toboth of the Yeouido Cinema 404 and the National Assembly Library 405,location properties of the current location become “cinema” and“library.” Referring to FIG. 5, the priority of cinema is 1, whereas thepriority of library is also 1, i.e., both of the location propertieshave the same priority. Since a plurality of operation modes having asame priority conflict with each other, a user interface for selectingan operation mode is provided to a user of the mobile device. Afterproviding the user interface, the operation mode of the mobile device isswitched to an operation mode selected by the user.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of switching operation modesaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in step 610, a mode switching device receivescurrent location information from an outside source. The currentlocation information is received from a server providing locationinformation via a wired or wireless communication network. The currentlocation information includes names of buildings and roads correspondingto each of location information corresponding to a particular location,i.e., information related to names of places.

In step 620, location properties included in the current locationinformation are extracted. Steps 630 and 640 are similar to the steps340 and 350 as shown in FIG. 3, and thus detailed descriptions thereofare omitted for clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of switching operation modesaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

In a step S710, a mode switching device receives a place property fromat least one nearby external device. the term “place property” refers toa name representing a property of the place in the name of place. Theplace property may include the location property. Alternatively, theplace property may be a proper name relating to a place such“Starbucks.” Alternatively, the mode switching device receives the nameof the place, and extracts the property of the place from the name ofplace. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the externaldevice may be an AP. The mode switching device receives a place propertyfrom an AP via a Route Advertising (RA) message. If that terminalincludes the mode switching device is relocated from a recognition rangeof a first AP to a recognition range of a second AP, a handover isperformed. If a signal intensity between the terminal and a first APdrops below a preset critical value, a MAC Layer handover or Link Layer(L2) handover is performed. In the present example, the terminal detectssignal weakening and makes a probe request to a second AP. After a proverequest is received from the second AP in response to the probe requestand the terminal is authenticated and receives a reassociation response,the terminal is associated with the second AP as a new AP. An APperiodically broadcasts RA messages. Therefore, if signal is stable, theterminal receives a RA message from the second AP. The terminal mayextract a place property from the received RA message.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a format of an RA message, according toan embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, an RA message includes an Options item 800, whichmay indicate information related to a place property. The Options item800 may be indicated in 32 bits. In other words, the Options item 800may indicate information having data quantity of 2³² related to a placeproperty.

The terminal may receive information related to a place property from aparticular server (e.g., a communication network carrier or a serviceprovider) associated with the second AP. For example, as shown in FIG.8, the terminal may recognize a place property by requesting theparticular server to match bit expressions and receiving a responsethereof according to information expressed as bits in the Options item800.

Steps 720 and 730 are similar to steps 340 and 350 of FIG. 3, exceptthat the steps 720 and 730 employ a place property instead of a locationproperty. Therefore, a further description of steps 720 and 730 isomitted for clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a mode switching device 900 according to anembodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the mode switching device 900 includes a receivingunit 910, a map matching unit 920, a location property extracting unit930, a storage unit 940, an operation mode categorizing unit 950, and anoperation mode switching unit 960.

The receiving unit 910 receives current location information from anexternal source. The current location information may be locationinformation acquired by receiving a GPS signal from a satellite. A GPSsignal includes coordinate information, such as longitude and latitude.For example, coordinate information may be longitude-latitudeinformation indicating a location using east longitude and northlatitude, such as E127:00:09,00 and N37:26:08,00. Furthermore, thereceiving unit 910 may receive current location information from aserver providing location information via a wired or wirelesscommunication network. Current location information received via a wiredor wireless communication network may be coordinate information, such aslongitude and latitude, or information for identifying a location, suchas an address. The above-described methods of acquiring current locationinformation and the format of location information are merely providedas examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Any ofvarious types of information may be utilized in the present invention aslong as the information informs a current location. The receiving unit910 may receive current location information from an associated AP or anRFID.

The map matching unit 920 determines an on-the-map locationcorresponding to current location information. A display unit (notshown) of the mode switching device 900 may display an on-the-maplocation corresponding to received current location information as acurrent location.

The location property extracting unit 930 extracts a location propertyof a determined location. A tolerable range for extracting a locationproperty corresponding to a current location may be based on a distance.In other words, a location property of a current location may beextracted based on how far the current location is away from a placehaving the location property. For example, the location propertyextracting unit 930 may extract a location property only if a currentlocation is located within 10 meters from a place having the locationproperty. The tolerable range may be set by a designer or a user of themode switching device 900 in advance. A distance between a currentlocation and a place having a location property may be calculated basedon coordinates thereof on a map. Alternatively, an actual distancebetween a current location and a place having a location property may becalculated by calculating an on-the-map distance between the currentlocation and the place having the location property. Furthermore, if acurrent location is within a tolerable distance from a plurality ofplaces having location properties of a location, the location propertyextracting unit 930 may extract a plurality of location properties.

The storage unit 940 stores a map and data related to categorization ofoperation modes. The operation mode categorizing unit 950 categorizesextracted location properties according to stored operation modes. Morespecifically, the operation mode categorizing unit 950 categorizesgeneral names extracted from names of places of a corresponding locationaccording to stored operation modes.

Operation modes are pre-stored in the storage unit 940 by themanufacturer of the mode switching device 900, and may be switched by auser. An operation mode automatically switches at places correspondingto a same property according to location properties. Further, operationmodes may be configured to remain unchanged at a place located at aparticular coordinates designated by a user. If the location propertyextracting unit 930 extracts a plurality of location properties withrespect to a current location and an operation mode is switchedaccording to each of the plurality of location properties, conflicts mayoccur. Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, apriority is given to each of location properties to prevent theconflicts. Therefore, if a plurality of location properties is extractedfrom a location, the operation mode categorizing unit 950 selects anoperation mode having the highest priority. If a plurality of operationmodes having a same priority, the operation mode categorizing unit 950provides a user interface for selecting one of the competing operationmodes to a user.

The operation mode switching unit 960 switches an operation mode basedon the categorized operation modes.

An alternative mode switching device 900-1 according to anotherembodiment of the present invention (not shown) is described as follows.

The mode switching device 900-1 includes a receiving unit 910-1, a mapmatching unit 920-1, a location property extracting unit 930-1, astorage unit 940-1, an operation mode categorizing unit 950-1, and anoperation mode switching unit 960-1. In other words, the map matchingunit 920 is not included in the alternative mode switching device9001-1, in contrast to the mode switching device 900 describedhereinabove with reference to FIG. 9.

The receiving unit 910-1 receives current location information from anoutside source. The current location information is received from aserver providing location information via a wired or wirelesscommunication network. The current location information includes namesof buildings and roads corresponding to each of location information,that is, information related to names of places. In contrast to the modeswitching device 900, the location information of the mobile switchingdevice 900-1 includes location properties.

Unlike the storage unit 940, the storage unit 940-1 only stores datarelated to categorization of operation modes.

Operations of the location property extracting unit 930-1, the operationmode categorizing unit 950-1, and the operation mode switching unit960-1 are similar to those of the corresponding components of the modeswitching device 900, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof willbe omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The mode switching device 900-2 according to yet another embodiment ofthe present invention (not shown) is described as follows.

The mode switching device 900-2 includes a receiving unit 910-2, alocation property extracting unit 930-2, a storage unit 940-2, anoperation mode categorizing unit 950-2, and the operation mode switchingunit 960-2. The location property extracting unit 930-2 may be replacedwith a place property extracting unit 930-2. The map matching unit 920is omitted in the mode switching device 900-2 according to the presentembodiment as compared to the mode switching device 900 describedhereinabove.

The receiving unit 910-2 receives a location property from at least onenearby external device. Alternatively, the mode switching device 900-2receives the name of the place, and extracts the property of the placefrom the name of place. According to an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention, the external device may be an AP. The receiving unit910-2 receives a place property from an AP via a RA message. If aterminal including the mode switching device 900-2 is relocated from arecognition range of a first AP to a recognition range of a second AP, ahandover is performed. If a signal intensity between the terminal and afirst AP drops below a preset critical value, an L2 handover isperformed. In this case, the terminal detects signal weakening and makesa probe request to a second AP. After a prove request is received fromthe second AP in response to the probe request and the terminal isauthenticated and receives a reassociation response, the terminal isassociated with a new AP, that is, the second AP. An AP periodicallybroadcasts RA messages. Therefore, if signal is stable, the terminalreceives an RA message from the second AP.

The place property extracting unit 930-2 may extract a place propertyfrom the received RA message. Referring to FIG. 8, a RA message includesan Options item 800, which may indicate information related to a placeproperty.

The receiving unit 910-2 may receive information related to a placeproperty from a particular server (e.g., a communication network carrieror a service provider) associated with the second AP. For example, asshown in FIG. 8, the mode switching device 900-2 may recognize a placeproperty by requesting the particular server to match bit expressionsand receiving a response thereof according to information expressed asbits in the Options item 800.

Unlike the storage unit 940, the storage unit 940-2 only stores datarelated to categorization of operation modes.

Operations of the operation mode categorizing unit 950-2 and theoperation mode switching unit 960-2 are similar to operations of theoperation mode categorizing unit 950 and the operation mode switchingunit 960, respectively, except that a place property is employed in thepresent embodiment instead of a location property. Accordingly, adetailed description of the operation mode categorizing unit 950-2 andthe operation mode switching unit 960-2 is omitted for clarity andconciseness.

The present invention can be embodied as computer readable codes on acomputer readable recording medium. A computer readable recording mediumis any data storage device that can store data that can be thereafterread by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable recordingmedium include Read-Only Memory (ROM), Random-Access Memory (RAM),Compact Disc (CD)-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, optical datastorage devices, etc. The computer readable recording medium can also bedistributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computerreadable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Also,functional programs, codes, and code segments for accomplishing thepresent invention can be easily construed by programmers skilled in theart to which the present invention pertains.

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. The described embodimentsshould be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by thedetailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, andall differences within the scope are to be construed as being includedin the present invention.

1. A method of switching operation modes, the method comprising:receiving current location information; determining an on-the-maplocation corresponding to the current location information; extracting alocation property of the determined on-the-map location; and setting anoperation mode of the mobile device based on the extracted locationproperty.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location property is aname, which is included within a name of a place in the mapcorresponding to the determined location, that represents a property ofthe place.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the currentlocation information includes receiving a Global Positioning System(GPS) signal corresponding to a current location.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein receiving the current location information includes receivingthe current location information via a predetermined wired or wirelesscommunication network.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving thecurrent location information includes receiving current locationinformation from an associated Access Point (AP).
 6. The method of claim1, wherein receiving the current location information includes receivingcurrent location information from a Radio Frequency IDentifier (RFID).7. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the operation mode comprises:categorizing the extracted location property according to pre-storedoperation modes; and setting the operation mode according to thecategorized operation mode.
 8. The method of claim 7, whereincategorizing the extracted location property according to the pre-storedoperation modes includes, if a plurality of location properties areextracted, categorizing the extracted location properties with respectto a single operation mode according to a predetermined priority.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein setting the operation mode according to thecategorized location property includes, if a plurality of locationproperties are extracted, setting a plurality of operation modesaccording to a combination of a plurality of the categorized locationproperties.
 10. A method of switching operation modes, the methodcomprising: receiving current location information including a locationproperty of a current location; extracting a location property of adetermined on-the-map location; and setting an operation mode of themobile device based on the extracted location property.
 11. The methodof claim 10, wherein setting the operation mode comprises: categorizingthe extracted location property according to pre-stored operation modes;and setting the operation mode according to the categorized locationproperty.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the location property is aname, which is included within a name of a place in the mapcorresponding to the determined location, that represents a property ofthe place.
 13. A method of switching operation modes, the methodcomprising: receiving a place property from at least one nearby externaldevice; and setting an operation mode of the mobile device based on thereceived place property.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein setting theoperation mode comprises: categorizing the place property according topre-stored operation modes; and setting the operation mode according tothe categorized operation mode.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein theplace property is a name representing a property of a place that isincluded within a name of the place.
 16. The method of claim 13, whereinthe external device is an Access Point (AP).
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein receiving the place property from at least one nearby externaldevice includes receiving the place property from a predetermined serverassociated with the at least one nearby external device.
 18. A modeswitching device comprising: a receiving unit for receiving currentlocation information; a map matching unit for determining an on-the-maplocation corresponding to the current location information; a locationproperty extracting unit for extracting a location property of thedetermined on-the-map location; and an operation mode switching unit forsetting an operation mode based on the extracted location property. 19.The mode switching device of claim 18, wherein the location property isa name, which is included within a name of a place in the mapcorresponding to the determined location, that represents a property ofthe place.
 20. The mode switching device of claim 18, wherein receivingthe current location information includes receiving a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) signal corresponding to the current location.
 21. The modeswitching device of claim 18, wherein receiving current locationinformation includes receiving the current location information via apredetermined wired or wireless communication network.
 22. The modeswitching device of claim 18, wherein the receiving unit receives thecurrent location information from an associated Access Point (AP). 23.The mode switching device of claim 18, wherein the receiving unitreceives the current location information from a Radio FrequencyIDentifier (RFID).
 24. The mode switching device of claim 18, furthercomprising: a storage unit for storing operation modes to be setaccording to the predetermined location property; and an operation modecategorizing unit for categorizing the extracted location propertyaccording to pre-stored operation modes, wherein the operation modeswitching unit sets operation modes according to the categorizedoperation mode.
 25. The mode switching device of claim 24, wherein, if aplurality of location properties are extracted, the operation modecategorizing unit categorizes the extracted location properties withrespect to a single operation mode according to a predeterminedpriority.
 26. The mode switching device of claim 24, wherein, if aplurality of location properties are extracted, the operation modeswitching unit sets a plurality of operation modes according to acombination of a plurality of the categorized location properties.
 27. Amode switching device comprising: a receiving unit for receivinglocation information including a location property of a currentlocation; a location property extracting unit for extracting a locationproperty of a determined on-the-map location; and an operation modeswitching unit for setting an operation mode based on the extractedlocation property.
 28. The mode switching device of claim 27, furthercomprising: a storage unit for storing operation modes to be switchedaccording to the extracted location property; and an operation modecategorizing unit for categorizing the extracted location propertyaccording to pre-stored operation modes, wherein the operation modeswitching unit sets the operation mode according to the categorizedlocation property.
 29. The mode switching device of claim 27, whereinthe location property is a name, which is included within a name of aplace in the map corresponding to the determined location, thatrepresents a property of the place.
 30. A mode switching devicecomprising: a receiving unit for receiving a place property from atleast one nearby external device; and an operation mode switching unitfor setting an operation mode based on the received place property. 31.The mode switching device of claim 30, wherein the external device is anAccess Point (AP).
 32. The mode switching device of claim 30, whereinthe operation mode switching unit categorizes the place propertyaccording to pre-stored operation modes and sets the operation modeaccording to the categorized operation mode.
 33. The mode switchingdevice of claim 30, wherein the place property is a name representing aproperty of a place that is included within a name of the place.
 34. Themethod of claim 31, wherein the receiving unit receives a place propertyfrom a predetermined server associated with the at least one nearby AP.35. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon amethod of switching operation modes, the method comprising: receivingcurrent location information; determining an on-the-map locationcorresponding to the current location information; extracting a locationproperty of the determined on-the-map location; and setting an operationmode based on the extracted location property.
 36. A computer readablerecording medium having recorded thereon a method of switching operationmodes, the method comprising: receiving current location informationincluding a location property of a current location; extracting alocation property of a determined on-the-map location; and setting anoperation mode based on the extracted location property.
 37. A computerreadable recording medium having recorded thereon a method of switchingoperation modes, the method comprising: receiving a place property fromat least one nearby external device; and setting an operation mode basedon the received place property.